Adopt

My name is Leonard!

Posted 1 week ago

My basic info

Breed
Rottweiler
Color
Age
Adult
Size
X-Large 101 lbs (46 kg) or more (when grown)
Weight
Sex
Male
Pet ID
dbc2c1c5-4703-4324-ab4a-6cfd33d9f559

My details

Checkmark in teal circle Good with dogs
Checkmark in teal circle Spayed / Neutered

My story

Here's what the humans have to say about me:

Description
MARR covers Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Wisconsin. Leonard is being fostered in KS currently. However, transportation is available for adoptions within our coverage area. More to come on Leonard.

From the Shelter: He does great being leashed, walked and handled but gets reactive and hits kennel when being put back. He did well with getting intake vaccines and deworming.in. We assume it's due to not wanting to be in a loud kennel situation as we are over capacity and our
holding area is very high stress right now. This big boy has been very easy to work with. Medical was able to do intake with no issues. He knows
sit and shake. So far we have not been able to find a food that piques his interest as a treat. He is very
interested in sniffing anything and everything he comes in contact with. He is pending dog intro's at this
time but that will be done by the end of the week to see how he interacts with other dogs. When out walking
he does not show any reactivity when he sees other dogs or people.
The only fault we've seen is that he does not like being put back in his kennel and will growl and hit the
kennel when you close the door. Our holding area is over capacity at this time, and it is a high stress area
so we are assuming this is why this tis happening.
Notes from evaluator: I went to meet/evaluate Leonard and a staff member brought him out from his kennel and I met them in the hallway coming back from the bathroom. He gave me a tail wag and I went ahead to their meet and greet area. Once inside, Jenny held the slip lead loosely while he checked out the area and eventually, me. He initially seemed cautious but friendly, doing lots of sniffing. She was feeding him treats when he would interact with her and once he had a chance to give me a good sniff (I was sitting on the bench), I placed a couple cubes of cheese on the bench for him to find while I talked with Jenny.

He continued to exhibit more relaxed body language as we chatted, and continued to take cheese from the bench. I also used some canned food on a long wooden spoon to guide his eyes up to check for an eye contact trigger, but I saw no indication of one. Jenny said that he had been slow to take food for the most part especially when he was stressed, but he was readily taking food from both of us at this point.

I stood up to see if his reaction would change and it did not, he just looked at me curiously to see what I’d do next. Jenny dropped the lead and we let it drag. I was able to get him to give me lots of sits, downs, shakes, and even a messy heel with an auto-sit. Someone spent some time training this dog.

He continued to take food from me and indicated several times that he wanted to go out the gate of the area, so I asked if it was okay if we went outside. He relieved himself outside, indicated that he is most likely house trained. Jenny noted that he keeps his kennel pretty clean minus occasional marking. He was slightly less relaxed outside but sniffed around and did not react to anything out there including people going in and out of the building nearby. He seemed to know how to respond to tension on the leash and did not pull much at all.

As we went back in, we did a quick drive by of another room with some very small dogs in stacked kennels and he was non-reactive, slightly interested but nothing that would indicate he would have issues with small dogs. Jenny indicated that he had been neutral during initial play groups they had put him in.

After we went back to the MG area, he picked up a toy that we had tried to offer earlier and initiated play with it. He led me into a game of fetch and willingly dropped the ball for me each time he brought it back. He quickly became very relaxed and animated as you could tell he loves this game. Occasionally rather than dropping it right away, he would smash it into my leg and rub or wrap one paw around my calf momentarily. If I stepped back, he would drop the toy to initiate play again. He showed no signs of resource guarding and Jenny noted she had not seen any either.

His response to me dropping a metal lid loudly was to turn and look.

His response to me running away from him was for him to turn and then follow me, making eye contact like this was a game he was trying to figure out

She noted that they had seen some increasing signs of barrier reactivity as he passes kennels or other dogs pass by, but this is not uncommon in a shelter environment. She also noted that he has been growling/jumping on the kennel door when he is returned to his kennel as it’s being closed. When I finished my eval, I asked if I could watch her put him back in his kennel. We used a secondary line on the slip lead to open it quickly, and as we put him in, I threw his toy in and also threw some food in. As we shut the kennel, I offered some food under the panel on my long spoon and no negative behaviors were noted.

Jenny said that she did the initial vetting for Leonard and didn’t have any issue with him as far as vaccinations etc., but he has become slightly more sensitive about head/neck handling (collar trigger) the longer he has been there. She was able to muzzle him for his neuter. He is 6 days post-surgery currently so pain would be a factor in behavior here still. He did have an incident earlier this week in which Jenny tried to adjust where the slip lead was on his neck and he growled and flipped his head back/snapped at her but immediately neutralized and no further issue was seen.

He does exhibit more negative behaviors with people who are nervous around him. I did not physically handle him much other than walking him on lead since I know that he has had some handling sensitivity lately and he doesn’t know me well, but I think that I’d be able to handle him pretty freely in a home environment in a matter of days. He did nuzzle and lick my hand several times and leaned against me.

My conclusion is that Leonard would be a good fit for an experienced, confident foster/adopter and that having other neutral or playful dogs in the home would be fine with proper introduction. Decompression would be VITAL and conservative handling including a drag line would be recommended during that time. He already has a lot of training which makes handling him fairly easy. He would easily have his exercise needs met with some fetch and foraging/find it games each day. He seems to enjoy training and is food motivated, once he feels comfortable in the environment.

I would also recommend muzzle training for vet visits and placement in a home with no young kids simply because of his handling nervousness at first. Kids that are old enough to be coached through that would be fine. He seems to like people or at the very least be neutral with them in almost all circumstances. He also isn’t jumpy and his default sit has been developed somewhat and could easily be tuned up.

He is large, tailed, and very typey of the breed. Really nice looking dog with some really good qualities.

Jenny did mention that he is moving up the Euth list due to behavior, since their staff is limited in who feels comfortable handling him and they are over capacity.
10/31/2024 Rabies
10/25/2024 Adenovirus
10/25/2024 Bordetella (Kennel Cough)
10/25/2024 Parainfluenza
10/31/24 Heartworm test (negative)
11/15/2024 Distemper (due)
11/15/2024 Parvovirus (due)
Neutered Male
Rescue

Contact info

Pet ID
dbc2c1c5-4703-4324-ab4a-6cfd33d9f559
Contact
Donna Jones
Phone
Address
PO Box 6221, Lincoln, NE 68506
Donation

Their adoption process

Additional adoption info

MARR Adoption Requirements
Please read the below in it's entirety.

Minimum requirements for adopting from Rottweiler Rescue are:

Previous large breed ownership experience

Demonstrated responsible dog ownership, and primary care of a dog to include spay/neuter of current family pets. Also, all pets up to date on vaccinations and (dogs) heartworm tested and on preventative.

Demonstrated financial stability and must be at least 21 years of age.

Proof of home owners insurance that covers Rottweilers. If you rent, we require a letter from your landlord giving you permission to keep a Rottweiler on the premises and you must have Renter's Insurance that covers Rottweilers. Please note that many insurance companies will cancel your homeowners policy if you own a Rottweiler. It is the adopter's responsibility to check with his or her carrier to ensure coverage will remain in place.

We strongly prefer yards that are fenced in by chain link, wrought iron or privacy fencing. Homes with no fences will be evaluated on a case by case basis. Invisible fencing is not acceptable.

Adoption Policy

We are happy to hear from people interested in giving one of our wonderful dogs a responsible, lifelong home. Rottweilers become deeply attached and devoted to their families. They were bred to share in all aspects of their family's daily life - being with you in your home and going with you when you go out. They thrive being near you with a head or paw in your lap. Our Rottweilers are adopted as inside family pets only. If you feel you may not truly enjoy having a dog's constant companionship, enjoy having him sleep in your bedroom at night and share your activities by day, then you may be happier with a breed less oriented to human companionship.

Much like toddlers, puppies cannot go all day long in a crate and need to be let out often, so as a general rule, on the rare occasion we have one in foster preference is given to homes where someone is home during the day or part thereof.

We realize that more homes and subdivisions are not allowed to have a structural type of fence, thus, the need for an "Invisible Fence." Please understand we are not very fond of this type of containment for our furry friends. Just because the dog has a collar on and "can't " leave his boundaries, there's nothing that prevents other predators from coming in and attacking your dog. Also, even though your dog is wearing his collar and is in his own yard, nothing prevents other children or anyone from coming in the yard and taunting or harming the animal, which could lead to a bite incident. Even if a dog is in his own home, you, the homeowner, is still liable if they should bite.

Whether you live in the city or in the country, no dog can be safely left to run "free" without your direct supervision and control. The price of such "freedom" is inevitably injury or death: from automobiles, from Animal Control, or from justifiably irate neighbors. Like other working breeds, Rottweilers have an inherited instinct to herd. The unfenced country Rottweiler will sooner or later discover the neighbor's livestock (sheep, cattle, horses, poultry). Many state laws allow a livestock owner to kill any dog chasing or "worrying" his stock, or "running" deer on his property. And livestock owners are quick to act on this right. The unfenced city Rottweiler may exercise his herding instinct on joggers, children, bicyclists and automobiles.

Our adoption fees are $350 for dogs 0-6 months, $250 for dogs 7 months to 5 years, and $200 for dogs 5 years and older. This donation is for the reimbursement of medical expenses including spay/neutering for each dog, vaccinations, a heartworm test and heartworm preventative, frontline and any shelter pull fees. This donation also helps to offset the cost of vetting a dog for basic conditions such as kennel cough, intestinal parasites or urinary tract infections that many dogs bring with them from the shelters as well as more serious things such as heartworm treatment or other necessary surgical procedures.

Our Rottweilers are placed into families throughout the Midwest. Please e-mail us to see if we are your "local" rescue. You may live in an area with an established Rottweiler Rescue, and we ask that you please look first at their Rescue operations. Click here for a national List of Rottweiler Rescues.

We are a Not For Profit organization. Every cent of the adoption fee literally goes to the dogs. All of our Rottweilers are spayed or neutered: no exceptions. After adoption we are available to assist and advise our adoptive families in any way we can. If for any reason an adoption doesn't work out, we will work with you to take the dog back.

If you meet these requirements, please fill out an adoption application by visiting our website - www.adoptarott.org

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